The History of Railroads in Colorado: Shaping the Centennial State
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Mar 14th 2025
Before railroads, travel in Colorado was arduous, relying on wagons over rugged terrain. The arrival of railroads in the 19th century transformed the state’s economy, fueling mining, agriculture…
Track 15, Coming Right Up!
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Jan 29th 2025
Track 15, a long-anticipated food hall in Providence, Rhode Island, is set to open in March 2025 after facing delays due to the pandemic, supply chain issues, and structural challenges. Located in a h…
Shuffleboard: A Game for the Ages Meets the Railroad
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Sep 10th 2024
Shuffleboard has a rich history dating back to 15th century England. Originally, it was played by sliding coins down a table, a game known as “shove groat” or "shovel-penny". It became popular among b…
Ahead of the Curve: Sculpture Made from Carnegie Rail
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Aug 9th 2024
We sculpted this work of art from sections of century-old reclaimed steel to pay homage to the classic lines of the railroad. The railway runs outdoors and indoors, and this sculpture can be exhibited…
Railroad Heritage Dining and Conference Tables
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Jul 29th 2024
We craft our industrial style dining and conference tables from authentic railroad components. Sections of railroad and boxcars go into all of the furniture we design and build, giving each piece a tr…
MEC - Leave Them Wanting More
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Jul 18th 2024
We have a complicated relationship considering we are part of the both the graffiti world and the railroad industry. Our not-for-profit Graff Museum seeks to educate about the graff community and…
From Nashville to Louisville: A Shared Railroad History
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Jul 1st 2024
When it comes to railroading, Louisville, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee share history in the
form of the fallen flag of the Louisville & Nashville (L&N) Railroad. For anyone not familiar with
th…
Kansas City: A Railroad Legacy
Mar 15th 2024
Picture this: a bustling city nestled at the crossroads of America, where the Kansas and Missouri Rivers converge...
...creating a vibrant hub of commerce and connectivity. Welcome to Kansas Cit…
Railway Interchange - the Greatest Show on Earth
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 19th 2023
Expect the unexpected – a railroad industry conference sounds like less-than-glamorous industrial business, but we make sure it’s also filled with fun like our game tables, art and custom-made furnitu…
Mancave Heaven
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Jul 6th 2023
Mancave HeavenThe owner of this amazing mancave holds a passion for railroad with his favorite being the Great Northern Railroad (GNRR) that ran just south of the Glacier National Park. The…
Bringing Two Ends of a Century Together
Posted by Robert Hendrick with an assist from Chat GPT on Mar 15th 2023
Cue up the Arlo Guthrie classic, “The City of New Orleans” because the railroad industry is headed to the Crescent City! It’s time again for the American Association of Short Line and Region…
The Art of Recovery
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Nov 1st 2022
If you’ve ever watched a train covered in brightly covered graffiti pass by and wondered about the fascinating sub-culture of freight train graffiti, you’ve arrived at the right place.We’re pleased to…
Unmasking the Superhuman Freight Graffiti Writer
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Oct 20th 2022
Superheroes (or Supervillains, if you will)The deeds of freight graffiti writers verge on the realm of superhuman feats; the likes of which we find chronicled in the cheap pulp paper of comic book pag…
The Secret Code of Railroad
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Oct 5th 2022
On the railroad, engineers, conductors, brakemen and carmen all speak a fluent secret language they share with the railcars themselves. Arranged amongst the bright Hi-Viz colors punctuated by rusted s…
The Railroad - Eighth Wonder of the World
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 28th 2022
The railroads should be one of the seven wonders of the world. They’re an architectural and engineering phenomenon that spans the entire country coast to coast. Heck – the entire world if you don’t co…
AREMA 2022 - Gathering for a Party
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Aug 22nd 2022
After the past couple of years, it sure feels good to be getting back to some social gatherings where we can see and interact with people once again. We’ve missed socializing in person, sharing a beve…
Colorado Railroading & Hockey - AREMA 2022
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Aug 4th 2022
Taking this show on the road again and heading west to Denver in the mountain states. Colorado has a deep railroading history – and hockey of late. We’ll get to the hockey connection with railroading…
The History of a Railroad Icon
Posted by Mason Howell on Jun 15th 2022
We strive to keep every detail of our furniture as close to pure railroad using traditional railroading techniques whenever possible. That means using spikes like our railroad contracting business us…
Railroad in Song
Posted by Robert Hendrick on May 19th 2022
Rail Yard Studios makes its home in Music City USA – also known as Nashville, Tennessee. So, it’s little surprise that we have a love of song and a special place in our hearts for songwriter…
Short Line Railroads
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Mar 22nd 2022
Short Line Railroads - ASLRRA 2022Short Line and Regional Railroads make the rail system in America work. They often serve as the last mile and/or the first mile in the supply chain. They service…
ICHABOD Coins - BM 3375
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Mar 21st 2022
ICHABOD BM 3375 Coin Struck in collaboration with infamous freight graffiti artist, ICHABOD, the ICHABOD BM 3375 Coin features his iconic skull on the obverse (heads) side of the coin as it appea…
How Graffiti Improves Railroad Safety
Feb 17th 2022
Two Sides to Every CoinWhen we dropped the last blog post about our efforts to create a museum of freight graffiti, it caught peoples’ attention.It got lots of folks excited – some in a good…
Graff Museum - What We're Planning
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Feb 3rd 2022
Graff MuseumThe railroad haphazardly curates the largest gallery of modern art on a daily basis in the form of graffiti-covered freight cars. We’re aiming to be a little more thoughtful in our approac…
ASLRRA Connections 2021
Oct 28th 2021
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Conference is set for November 16-18 in Phoenix, Arizona, and Rail Yard Studios will be there!Has your living room become your office over the past y…
Built to Last
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Aug 10th 2021
We craft our entire furniture collection – beds, desks, coffee tables and more, the way things used to be built.Solid.Heavy.Designed to stand the test of time.The materials we use in our ben…
Industrial Age Originals
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Mar 1st 2021
Our collection of furniture for home and office bears brands from Tennessee, Illinois, Maryland, Colorado, Lackawanna, Carnegie, and Canada-Algoma among a few others. Each brand on the web of the rail…
Aged Ten Years
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Feb 17th 2021
Ten years ago, we began crafting our custom desks, tables and other furniture from authentic railroad artifacts. It’s a poignant reminder how quickly time passes. In the studio, we marvel d…
Speaking of Railroad
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Feb 3rd 2021
We’ve developed a passion for railroad. It’s a rich part of American history and a colorful part of language and expressions at home and at work. For our furniture, we often incorporate industry ter…
What's in the Box?
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 18th 2020
Each large piece of furniture in our collection be it a desk, dining table, bed or wine rack comes with a box that completes the customer experience. We pack a lot…
Renovating, Remodeling and Moving
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Aug 19th 2020
We're finishing up renovated and remodeled a vintage warehouse for the new home of our offices and workspace for Rail Yard Studios. We opted for a simple modern industrial design to fit our own style.…
Railroad: A Brief History Since 1918
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Apr 16th 2020
The pandemic headlines tie New York, Philadelphia,Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, and New Orleans together, and we're cheering for them to "flatten the curve." These are all great cities with a strong…
Railroad Date Nails
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Mar 26th 2020
Few railroad artifacts capture the eye like date nails. These small thumbnail-sized steel pieces of Americana bear a 2-digit number indicating the year a crosstie was manufactured. The various shapes…
Now That's Entertainment!
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Mar 4th 2020
We thought making coffee tables, desks and dining tables
would keep us entertained for a long time when we founded our custom furniture company. For our first first ping pong table, we…
Vintage Markings on Railroad Steel - What Do They Mean?
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Feb 20th 2020
Our custom crafted tables, desks and other furniture all
feature sections of vintage rail. As you gather with family, friends or
business associates around one of our coffee tables, the markings on…
Railroad Industry - Thank You
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Oct 14th 2019
The railroad industry has been good to us as railroaders and as
artisan craftsmen. The entire community has embraced our vision for seeing
things differently. We’ve been welcomed into the office and…
Railway Interchange 2019 in Minneapolis
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 16th 2019
Railroaders from across America (the biggest railfans!) will be attending Railway Interchange 2019 in Minneapolis. Industrial goods and services made in America will be a common theme,…
Culled Charcuterie Boards - Naturally Creosote-Free
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 12th 2019
We designed our charcuterie boards to present cured meats, cheeses, breads and fruits. Sure, you could keep it in the kitchen, and practice your culinary skills on them, but even b…
Railway Interchange 2019 Booth 2307
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 3rd 2019
Railway Interchange 2019It's the greatest railroad show on earth!And we're going to be there. Booth 2307REMSA, RSI and RSSI come together once every other year for the largest railroad show in th…
Being a Part of History
Posted by Robert Hendrick on May 20th 2019
We get involved in a lot of industrial style interior design
projects for both home and office. Often, there is a strong connection to the
railroad. Sometimes it’s the personal history of the people…
What Can We Do for You?
Posted by Robert Hendrick on May 16th 2019
Restoration of a vintage home or renovation of a historic
office requires thoughtful design when it comes to furniture. The right coffee table, desk or side table complements the archi…
Do You Want to Hear a Story?
Posted by Robert Hendrick on May 9th 2019
It’s a family friendly dinner table sort of story
for home. A classic tale you to be told at work over your desk or sitting at a conference room table.It’s a telling of history preserv…
We Crossed a Line - Graffiti at a Railroad Convention
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Apr 15th 2019
At ASLRRA Connections 2019, we introduced our collection of
brightly colored graffiti commissioned on sections of authentic steel railcars.We crossed a line. It was bold, perhaps foolish to bring van…
Vandalism or Art - Booth 840 @ ASLRRA Connections 2019
Mar 27th 2019
Weigh in our your opinion about graffiti:Stop by Booth 840 at ASLRRA Connections 2019 in Orlando, FloridaGive Rail Yard Studios founder Robert Hendrick an earful
about what you think.Ask him about th…
Sound-Reactive Fire Pits from Rail Yard Studios
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 26th 2018
Fire pits and music combined with railroad?It sounded crazy to us, too.So we did it twice - in a 24-inch burner model and a 36-inch burner model.Sound-reactive flames - you mean like at a co…
Vintage Wine & Railroad
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Jan 13th 2018
Fine Vintage Wine StorageWe confess. We love a fine vintage wine.And we love bike riding, so we uniquely combined cycling and wine with our Vino Velo combination wine & bike rack.Come to think of…
The Largest Graffiti Art Museum
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 21st 2017
Graffiti Art Museum The railroad displays the world’s largest museum collection of modern art in the form of graffiti. Boxcars and hoppers covered in monikers, cartoons and abstract designs, from…
Limited Edition Artifacts
Posted by Rober on Sep 13th 2017
Railroad Artifacts
We individually number each piece we craft with an authentic vintage date nail. Reclaimed from abandoned rail beds, these tiny industrial era artifacts served as quality control m…
Home or Office?
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 9th 2017
Business or Pleasure When Traveling by Rail?Our passion for the railroad runs so strong that traveling by rail is always a pleasure, even if it’s for business.And we feel the same way about furniture…
Dream Beyond the Bedroom
Sep 7th 2017
Bedroom Dreams
What do you dream of – coffee table, desk, dining room table? When it comes to custom furniture and art with a connection to the railroad, we’re dedicated to makin…
Historic Preservation & Railroad
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 6th 2017
Historic PreservationWe reimagine artifacts of the Industrial Age so that they live on to tell the story and preserve the history of the Industrial Age. We craft them into new heirlooms - desks, table…
Sustainability & Environmental Responsibility
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 5th 2017
Natural Hardwood TimbersDid we mention that we exclusively use naturally creosote-free North American crosstie timbers in all our furniture and art?WAIT – CROSSTIES? - Yes. All of our tables…
Authentic Railroad. Outstanding Style.
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 4th 2017
Our story begins like all good entrepreneurial ventures – in my parent’s garage.We started small and crafted custom tables, furniture and art combining a love for railroad with a passion for design.Ar…
Graffiti Art Opening - September 29, 2017
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Aug 31st 2017
Graffiti: Vandalism or Art?You be the JudgeSeptember 29th from 6 to 9 pm - details click here.Project Boxcar features original works from Nashville & Los Angeles vandal...erm...graffiti artist Tro…
An Entrepreneur's Minimalist Corner Office in Texas
Posted by Robert Hendrick on May 17th 2017
Ryan McGrath, President of Asset Plus Companies, leads a premier commercial real estate firm in Houston, Texas. With over 300 properties under management, Ryan has a strong track record of succes…
Railroad Yard Art: Steel Magnolias (aka "spike balls)
Posted by Robert Hendrick on May 5th 2017
Mark Robak crafted these for his home where they decorate his outdoor garden. We call them "steel magnolias," but let us give credit to Mark Robak who grafted...erm...welded these new varietals togeth…
BNSF Headquarters Visit
Apr 28th 2017
The BNSF Railway Headquarters in Fort Worth sat a short drive away from where we were in Dallas, Texas for the American Shortline and Regional Railroad Association convention. So it was a perfect excu…
Michael Burcham & Our First Commissioned Desk
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Apr 13th 2017
Michael Burcham, the entrepreneurial CEO of Narus Health and patron of the arts, holds the distinction of commissioning the first custom piece of furniture from Rail Yard Studios.We designed Mich…
Friends of the High Line
Mar 2nd 2017
The Friends of the High Line who support High Line Park in New York share the same commitment to sustainability and historic preservation that drives us here at Rail Yard Studios.We were pro…
Being on Time - Blame the British Railroads
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Nov 6th 2016
Keeping accurate time is a relatively modern concept that began with the Industrial Age and more specifically for the benefit of the railroad.Until the late 1800s, people depended on the local clock t…
Anthony Howe - Master Sculptor Artist
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Oct 8th 2016
When we first saw
Anthony Howe's work, we did nothing.
Literally nothing...
Except watch...
For several minutes...
His kinetic sculptures move with a fluidity unlike anything we've eve…
Holding History and the Iconic Symbol of Freedom
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Aug 16th 2016
History passes through our hands every day, but sometimes even we get a bit starstruck.This is part of the original Statue of Liberty - yes, the one in New York Harbor.That deep green patina was on fu…
Announcing Project Boxcar
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Apr 29th 2016
Rail Yard Studios announces the launch of “Project Boxcar” – modern graffiti designs applied to authentic railcar sections. It’s a new addition to their high-end custom furniture from reclaimed railro…
Reaching Just a Bit Further...Custom Projects
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Apr 18th 2016
Custom projects mean much more than furniture. Public art is increasingly where we find ourselves going, and those special projects for corporate clients tend to be some of the most fun as they exerci…
Thank You, Mr. Carnegie
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Nov 28th 2015
The Carnegie brand makes a regular appearance around our studio since the industrialist made his fortune in railroad-related ventures much like technology entrepreneurs of the modern day. So our fa…
Express Line - New from Rail Yard Studios
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Nov 19th 2015
The Express Line offers a more affordable collection with a more compact design that’s perfect for urban lofts, start-up offices, and weekend cabins. It remains pure vintage railroad with…
200% Made in the USA - Reclaim. Repurpose. Respect.
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Nov 18th 2015
Why We Say 200%Our steel gets the credit.We use ore mined from the hills of American cities like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Birmingham, Alabama at the height of the Industrial Revolution.Between 18…
Two Guys Built the Entire U.S. Railroad
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Oct 21st 2015
The railroad was not built by a couple of guys swinging hammers.Wait a second.Actually, it was. Two guys and a hammer. One spike at a time. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat...Ok. Now add two more guys. And anot…
Starting Small - Scale Models of Our Designs
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 30th 2015
Traveling with our product to shows and events around the country can be a bit of a challenge. For goodness sake, our work is not exactly small.So we take lots of pictures. But even that can gloss ove…
Stretching Our Thinking - New Designs
Sep 17th 2015
Some designs take longer to get to than others. Then one is a bit of a vintage concept from 2014 that has been hanging around for the better part of a year. The pieces were fashioned for the projec…
Timbering: Simple and basic design is timeless.
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 16th 2015
That's a century of doing things pretty much the same way from the Industrial Age through the Digital Age. We spend a great deal of time making our designs simple - classic and timeless.That…
Porter's Friend Coat Rack
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 3rd 2015
Some things just deserve to be seen, like the Stetson hat your father-in-law owned and your gear from Rail Yard Studios (not included) and gear from Mitchell Bat Co (blue cap pictured not in…
New Home for a Favorite Piece - Woodsmoor
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Sep 1st 2015
We love seeing what our friends do with our work, and our Avant Garde Bench gets that special treatment that makes us want to share.This one found its way to our friends at the applied craft…
Every Last Scrap - Going Green
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Aug 31st 2015
We committed ourselves to being environmentally responsible from the word go. That meant creating an eco-friendly product with a minimal carbon footprint, and that dedication extended itself to our wo…
Table Tennis Table from Rail Yard Studios
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Aug 27th 2015
Playing Games
We love getting to make things with the water jet.
Here's a short clip water-jetting the "netting" for the Click Clack Table Tennis Table headed for Jackson Hole, Wyoming and…
It's a hard job that they make look easy
Posted by Robert Hendrick on Jun 1st 2015
These guys spend all day out in the weather - hot or cold.
It's a hard job that they make look easy, but truth be told, this is real work.
Here we catch them bringing in a small portion of part…
Assembling the double track coffee table
Posted by Robert Hendrick on May 28th 2015
As the saying goes, simple isn't easy.
However, assembling our Double Track Coffee Table is about as close to easy as it gets. …
What We Really Do
Jan 20th 2015
What we really do, or at least what we began doing, was good ole blue-collar labor. In fact, we still do that.Our railroad construction/maintenance business feeds the artisan craftsman side. It's a sy…
Railroad Jewelry
Nov 20th 2014
Yes, we call this work.Not our everyday gig for sure, but we do try new things from time to time that takes us away from the routine.Our jewelry line is a prime example of that. Each of these spi…